Wirral

Housing tenure in Wirral changed substantially in the decade to 2011. At the same time there were changes in marriage and health.

The population reached nearly 320,000

In the 10 years leading up to 2011, the population of Wirral increased by 2.4%, from just over 312,000 to 320,000.

The addition of almost 7,500 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Wirral was home to, on average, 15 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the North West

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the North West, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Wirral

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Wirral increased by two years, from 40 to 42 years.

This service economy area had a higher average age than the North West and remained somewhat older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 6,900 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 7,000.

About 12% of people in Wirral are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Wirral by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Wirral working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 9.8% to 7.9% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 40 (2.7%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.7% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 11% in 2001 to 8.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13% to 10%.

Long hour working in Wirral decreased by 1.9 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Wirral, the North West and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of self-employment

Wirral saw the North West's third-largest rise in the proportion of self-employed people.

In 2011, just under 1 in 13 (7.5%) people aged 16 to 74 in Wirral said they were self-employed, compared with 5.9% in 2001. The percentage that were employed increased from 49% to 51%.

Across the region, only Trafford (from 8.0% to 9.7%) and Knowsley (from 4.2% to 5.9%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of self-employed people.

During this period, Wirral went from having the 32nd-highest to the 13th-lowest percentage of self-employed people out of 309 English local authority areas.

The rate of self-employment in Wirral increased by 1.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Wirral, the North West and England that said they were self-employed, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Wirral

The percentage of Wirral residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 7.6% to 7.5% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 20 (5.1%) reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities, compared with 4.4% in 2001. The percentage of Wirral residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 88% to 87%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 7.0% in 2001 to 6.7% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Wirral, but at a slower rate than in Liverpool (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Wirral).

In Wirral, the proportion of private renting increased from 8.8% in 2001 to 16% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Liverpool increased from 13% to 23%.

Across the North West, the share of privately rented homes increased from 8.5% to 15%.

The rate of social housing in Wirral fell from 16% to 15%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 72% to 67%.

Private renting in Wirral increased by 7.1 percentage points

Percentage of households in Wirral, the North West and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

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